Ring in the new

The itch to refresh and remodel their homes keeps the makers of toilets, cabinets, countertops and more in business, which in turn helps keep the economy humming.

Never mind that many of these things don't need replacing. In a recent study, the National Association of Home Builders detailed the life expectancy of roofs, floors and everything in between and found that some components, such as doors, can last a lifetime if cared for properly.

The itch to refresh and remodel their homes keeps the makers of toilets, cabinets, countertops and more in business, which in turn helps keep the economy humming.

Never mind that many of these things don't need replacing. In a recent study, the National Association of Home Builders detailed the life expectancy of roofs, floors and everything in between and found that some components, such as doors, can last a lifetime if cared for properly.

The study's goal: inform people about how many years they can reasonably expect from those parts so they can better preserve their home's value. Behavioral experts suggest that durability is closely linked in the consumer psyche to quality and a feeling of permanence that embodies the very meaning of home.

So why is it that consumers crave longevity yet junk their cabinets, faucets and all sorts of appliances long before they wear out?

People change. So do their tastes, desires and lives. Manufacturers are forever catering to, counting on and even encouraging those changes as they try to improve sales.

Consider faucets. The ones in kitchens should last 15 years on average, while the ones in bathrooms should last about 20, the study said.

Yet only about 30 percent of residential faucets sold each year replace ones that are broken or worn, said Jack Suvak, marketing research director at Moen, a maker of kitchen and bath products. The rest are split between new homes and remodeling projects.

"Most homeowners are not comfortable with what they inherited," Suvak said. "They want to make it their own."

That was the case 22 years ago, when Pat Kitzler moved into her 120-year-old home in Westerville. She replaced the bathroom fixtures with antique brass, and she liked it so much that she was back at the Bath & Brass Emporium this month buying a new faucet.

Her current faucet hadn't worn out; it works fine, she said.

"The finish is starting to go because of the cleaners I use," she said. "I just love antique brass."

She doubted that anyone would wait for a faucet or other fixture to wear out.

Indeed, most customers are buying fixtures as part of a remodeling project, said Jean Fair, showroom manager at Bath & Brass Emporium.

"People remodel more now than they used to," she said.

Many people do comparison shopping online before going to the store so they have a good idea of what they want.

Still, a few customers show up with photographs or crumpled receipts in hand, looking to replace worn-out fixtures. Usually, they're older folks.

"And then they just want replacement parts," said Jennifer Visser, a saleswoman at the store. "We're definitely going after the remodelers. It's where it's at right now."

Given that people typically don't remodel piecemeal, many fixtures and appliances are replaced simply to match new fixtures and appliances around them, said David Pringle, chief executive of Broan-NuTone, which makes doorbells, medicine cabinets, range hoods and other home products.

That's why the company offers 40 new styles of medicine cabinets each year, Pringle said. Medicine cabinets should last more than 20 years, the builders' study found. But manufacturers don't want consumers to hang onto them for that long.

To drive demand, Broan-NuTone constantly adds finishes and features. It made deeper cabinets to create storage space above pedestal sinks. It added more electrical outlets for iPods and cell phones. And it created soft-close features and doors that open flat against a wall.

"It's all about innovation," Pringle said. "Medicine cabinets are an easy change."